Greece is an ancient country and abounding not only in purely visually beautiful, but also historically remarkable places. One of them is Parnassus, a mountain that has not lost its significance so far, although it has changed its role in the life of Greece.
Why is the mountain called Parnassus
Very interesting is the etymology of the name of one of the greatest Greek sights. Disputes between scientists do not subside until now. The vast majority of them believe that the mountain received the name "Parnassus" in the pre-Greek era and has Hittite roots. In the language of this people, the word "parna" meant "home, refuge, comfort." However, some researchers insist that the mountain got its name from the Greek word Παρνόπιος. It can be translated as "locust" - this is one of the nicknames of Apollo: his statues were placed in places suffering from the attack of these insects, in the hope that God would protect the crops.
Historical Landmark
At one time, Mount Parnassus was considered the favorite peak of the gods, which they visited for recreation and from where, with the highest probability of answering, one couldcontact one of the inhabitants of Olympus. The ancient Greeks called this place the navel (center) of the Earth. On its slopes was located (and to a certain extent still preserved) the world-famous Delphic sanctuary, in which the oracle of Apollo, the Pythia, received. A miraculous spring is also located here, and at the foot the Delphic Games, sung by ancient Greek authors, were held. Moreover, when Zeus was angry and decided to flood the earth to destroy mankind, Deucalion, the son of Apollo, built a ship on the advice of his father (an analogy with Noah is visible, however, except for Deucalion, only his wife was on board) and after ten days of travel landed exactly at the top Parnassus. The sacrifices made to Zeus propitiated God, and the human race was revived.
Parnassus is a mountain that has long been considered the refuge of the muses and the inspirer of poets, even after the extinction of the Hellenic culture. From her mention began the study of ancient Greek in schools until the 19th century.
Modern value of Parnassus
To begin with, we note that now it is considered not a separate peak, but the entire chain to which it belongs. In modern times, Parnassus is a mountain on which there is a National Park with an area of 3.5 thousand hectares. On the territory of Greece, it is the largest and oldest, with the richest collection of fauna and flora.
Since 1976, Mount Parnassus has been an attractive and wonderful ski resort. It is named after the location and is the largest and best equipped in Greece. Ski season is hereopen from early December to mid-April. The ski center offers twenty slopes. Of these, 20% are difficult, which even some professionals cannot overcome, and the rest are roughly equally divided into easy, for beginners, and medium, for fairly experienced skiers. It is curious that the prices for a day of skiing are quite democratic: for an adult - 15 euros, for children 5-17 years old - 14, and for old people and kids - one euro at all.
A feature of the resort is the absence of hotels on it. This nuance in some way makes it even more attractive: for the night people go to the historically and aesthetically attractive Delphi or the very curious resort village of Arachova, which is famous, in addition to its lively nightlife and cuisine for all tastes, for handmade carpets and exclusive cheeses and wines.
Where is Mount Parnassus
The current starting point is the resort of the same name, which is very fond of the capital's residents: it is only 150 kilometers from Athens. In general, Mount Parnassus in Greece lies on the northern coast of the Gulf of Corinth and acts as a natural border between Locris, Phokis and Boeotia. Geographically, this mountain range belongs to central Greece.
A funny geographical fact is that Parnassus Mountain exists near St. Petersburg. And there are two of them in this area. Since 1755, one has been located in Tsarskoye Selo (Alexandrovsky Park), and the second - on Pargolovskaya Manor, where Shuvalovsky Park is located. Even the metro station near the St. Petersburg version of the Greek mountaincalled "Parnassus". Despite the fact that they are by no means located in Greece, they are tourist sites and are visited by visitors from all over the world.
